Extract text from Visio XML stencils (VSX)
To convert VSX stencils to another format, you need Microsoft Visio or other Vector Image software.
To convert other file formats to the "Diagram Stencil File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Visio or a similar tool.
A .VSX file is a legacy XML-based stencil used by Microsoft Visio to store collections of reusable shapes, icons, and connectors for technical diagrams. These files are native to older versions of Visio that relied on the DatadiagramML XML schema. You can read more about the software's history on the Microsoft Visio Wikipedia page.
Users need to convert .VSX files because the format is outdated and tightly locked into the Microsoft ecosystem. The primary disadvantage of this format is that viewing the shapes requires an expensive Microsoft subscription. Without Visio, the file is completely unreadable for the average user, rendering as raw, complex XML code rather than visual shapes.
The best conversion targets are VSSX (the modern Visio stencil format) to maintain compatibility with new Visio versions, or SVG and PDF to extract the vector geometry for use in standard design software like Adobe Illustrator. When converting to SVG, be aware that you will lose Visio-specific "smart" behaviors, such as dynamic data connections and auto-snapping features.
This format is notoriously difficult to process. Standard online converters usually fail because they lack the specific rendering engine needed to translate Visio's proprietary coordinate systems and grouping tags into visual shapes. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the data. Even if full visual conversion fails, we can still inspect the file and show the raw XML text or internal content. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your VSX file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted VSDX, VSSX, VSS and VSD files.
If you want to convert VSX file to CSV, JSON, XML, YAML, YML, TOML, INI, CFG, CONF, DAT, DB or SQL, you can use Microsoft Visio or similar software from the "Visio Shape Stencil Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DBF, XML, SQLITE, XLSX, SQL, TSV, ACCDB, YAML, MDB, CSV, ODS or JSON files to VSX, try Microsoft Visio or another comparable tool in the "Visio Shape Stencil Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our VSX converter.